Small routines
by HoshisamaValmor
Summary: Happiness, day 2 of Erwin week. Small moments that bring peaceful happiness, and how you miss them if they're not there.


**Author's Note:** I wanted to talk to someone and I couldn't. It was very stressful.

Writing about Erwin is difficult, and overall I have difficulty writing. Acelucky and butonceagain on tumblr both wrote beautiful fics better than mine, you should read them. Also I wrote this for open interpretation on Erwin and Levi's relationship.

Disclaimer: I still don't obviously own Shingeki no Kyojin, I own the reason why I wrote this.

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It was a long day. It shouldn't have been so complicated, but endless and some of them rather redundant paperwork, briefings and meetings of members of the government and Zackly, followed by more paperwork, had stretched the day to an unsual length.

Finally alone on his office, Erwin sat behind his desk and looked at the scattered papers that had been left from other days, and a couple of remnants of the day. Night time had fallen far too long ago, and sooner rather than later dawn would break again for renewed work. He wasn't expecting to sleep on his bed tonight, something that after his injury Levi had started to force him to.

Levi. Erwin blinked and acknowledged how late it was. Normally, the Captain would skip resting and shared a time with Erwin. It was past the time tonight.

Even for someone like them, so tangled in cycles of death, daily life routines could start to form. More than mourning and loss, small casual events could start to be so frequent it would make their lives almost seem normal.

Sharing breakfast, exchanging expedition plans even before briefings, seeing everyone around a table and cups of tea late at night. Having Hange burst out lively "Hello, Erwin!", face under usual tangled hair and usual enthusiasm whether or not progress had been made. Walking side by side with Mike down a corridor and listen to him complain about about some uncomfortable scent only he caught, or over how well and cherry-like Nanaba smelled.

All those small moments of routine that provided an unexpected peace, almost as if things could be alright as they were. Between all those, talking with Levi after the end of the day was one that brought a closure and the one peace that fell into the wraphole of routine. It became so frequent and so present, he almost took it for granted.

Until today.

He was used to loss, as any member of the Survey Corps. Whenever routine was broken, his mind reacted by fearing the worse. Routines, as simple and as small as they were, were painful to break and too easy to do so. Mike, Nanaba, Levi's squad, all the countless others Erwin didn't even know the names of - any routine with them had been shattered by that far heavier routine of death. All that were left of them was the bittersweet taste of missing and the heavy weight of guilt.

Rationally, he knew Levi was alright. They were not outside the walls, and the rising odds inside this place had not yet ascend to that level of peril. He knew Levi was alright and simply as busy as Erwin had been.

Yet, he found time drag painfully. Erwin's hand flew to his hair, fixing some loose lock that was still perfectly in place, one old habit that creeped at him when he was alone. He knew everything was alright, and nothing of Erwin's day had been so important that it required immediate discussion. Thinking about it, he couldn't find anything that was worth more than an exchange of words to account on the subject.

Most likely, Levi was pilled under reports and deadlines. Less likely, his body had gave in to exhaustion and made him sleep tangled on some chair. It was alright. Everyone would still be here tomorrow, and they would be able to talk like usual.

Erwin twitched his hands and breathed out. This was unsual and unrequired. He was unsettled by something trivial. He should just try to focus his mind again on his work, at least save time for tomorrow.

Someone knocked on the door. Erwin's gaze lifted up immediately, sudden pinch of eagerness. He quickly processed the sound and was about to reply when the door opened.

"For fuck's sake, this was one too far fucking long day."

With as much energy as if he had slept like a normal person, Levi banged the door shut and crossed the office, holding two cups on his hands.

"I knew you'd still be here. Never in my life have I hated paperwork so much. I swear, if you don't start toning down those burocrats, I'll shove those piles in their heads."

Erwin's breathed out in what was nothing but relief. His face softened and a smile drew itself on his lips, listening Levi complain on the tasks of the day, the useless of most of it and how some of those burocrats should make trips to unpleasant places (he was quite explicit on his words, Erwin simply didn't register them explicitly). One of the cups was placed in front of him, while Levi immediately drank a sip of his tea.

"Your desk is a mess again. I'll organize it later. And why the fuck did Four Eyes had to put greasy hands on it again, someone needs to not be overdramatic."

He chuckled at that, and his day's routine came to its place.

"I think banging on the table is part of Hange's way of making enthusiastic proclamations."

Levi's sharp eyes turned to him from over his cup and hand. Erwin was still chuckling.

"What about you? Everything alright?"

Yes.

"Of course. Why?"

"You looked worried when I came in, now you're smiling. Something wrong?"

 _I've just become too used to your presence and I miss it._

"Thank you, Levi. Everything is alright."

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 **Author's Note:** I actually had a different idea for this day/prompt, but I have no time to write in the computer and I have general difficulty to make stuff I find is worth posting.

Anyway, thank you for your time reading, and if you can find something to say, I appreciate it.

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